Francesca Ghirga

Francesca Ghirga is an Associate Professor at the Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technologies, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Italy. With expertise in natural product chemistry and supramolecular systems, her research spans drug development for Hedgehog-dependent tumors, antibiotic resistance reversal, and fluorescent probes for neurodegenerative diseases.

• Current Position: Associate Professor (2025–Present)
• Previous Roles: Fixed-Term Researcher (2022–2025), Research Grant Holder (2021)
• Key Collaborations: Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), COST Actions EURESTOP and STRATAGEM

Research Interests focus on four main areas:

• Macrocyclic Chemistry: Design of resorc[4]arene-based artificial receptors and bioconjugates for immunosensors.
• Natural Product Drug Discovery: Isolation/optimization of compounds targeting Hedgehog and Notch pathways in cancer.
• Fluorescent Probes: Development of Tau protein-selective NIR probes for Alzheimer's diagnosis.
• Antibiotic Resistance: Inhibitors of ArnT-mediated colistin resistance in Gram-negative pathogens.

Recent Publications highlight her work on:

• Nanovehicles co-delivering colistin and resistance inhibitors
• Glabrescione B as Hedgehog antagonist for cholangiocarcinoma
• Rotenone's antiviral mechanism against adenovirus
• Resorc[4]arene-immunosensor platforms for cancer diagnostics

Scientific Awards include competitive scholarships from Società Chimica Italiana and Sapienza University for her PhD and postdoctoral research. She holds multiple patents related to Hedgehog inhibitors, Notch antagonists, and immunosensor technologies.

Grant Leadership features projects like:

• NIRNA (2022): NIR-guided RNA delivery systems (€190k)
• PREPNAT (2022): Natural compound isolation/optimization (€99.7k)
• Joint Lab with CrestOptics (2018–2021): Tau imaging probes (€150k)

Laboratory Involvement includes coordinating SYNLAB research group and participating in European networks like EURESTOP. She has lectured extensively on organic chemistry and supervised numerous student research projects across multiple Italian universities.